Merry Christmas Darling
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: We're apart that's true, but I have dreams and in my dreams I'm Christmasing with you. Wemma angst/fluff
1. Chapter 1

_**A/n: Just a little christmas angsty fluff for you even though its only september. Oh well. This is slightly based off of the 'Psych' mid season finale. If you do watch that show you might notice some similar dialogue.

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Emma wasn't sure how she wound up walking down the hallway that led to the choir room. She should have left an hour ago, just after the student body stampeded out of the school. She had some paperwork to do but it was only something that would take her a half an hour at the most and yet there she was, an hour after the school was emptied for Christmas vacation.

She had finished all of her paperwork, she refused to leave until all of it was done, and she planned on leaving but some unforeseen force pulled her away from the lobby and towards the choir room.

Her heart started pounding because underneath her confusion she knew the reason why she was drawn to choir room.

The faculty parking lot was right outside of her window and part of the reason it took her twice the time to do her paper work was because she kept getting distracted by the bright yellow sports car that was parked right outside her window. Will had had the car for a few months but it still put Emma into a state of awe every time she saw it. By the time she finished all of her paperwork she noticed that the car was still in the lot which only meant one thing: Will was still there.

The kids had just won sectionals for the second time around and for the first time in months Emma actually saw a true smile on his face. She had forgotten how much she loved seeing him happy. Despite everything that was going on between them, Will's smile could always brighten her day.

Since the kids had won sectionals, Will was already working hard for regionals. Over the course of the few months that school had begun again, Will and Emma slowly started their road to friendship. It was clear to Emma, due to the various attempts to try and impress her (which, she hated to admit, actually worked) that Will was intent on winning her back. However, she really liked Carl, possibly loved him even and Will was slowly being pushed out of her heart. Will finally came to realize that it seemed when he stopped his attempts to win her back, when he stopped flirting with her, when he stopped glaring at Carl any chance he got and when he came into her office and talked to her; just talked to her. His conversations didn't have the words "I love you Emma" or "I'm not giving up Emma" anymore they were just simple, every day conversations about glee club, about teaching in general, and sometimes he mustered up the courage to talk about Carl and how great it was that he was helping her with her OCD.

It was almost like old times and it would have been exactly like old times except two years ago Will would talk to her with a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face and even if what they talked about had him down, he'd leave her office with a smile on his face. Now, the rare smile on Will's face was clearly forced, the light in his eyes were gone, the emotion in his voice had evaporated and he carried himself like a sloth; slow moving and careless.

Emma hated seeing Will like that and she wished she could do something to make him feel better. Something that didn't include having her heart ripped out again. She was always tempted to advise Will to move on, go on a few dates, there were surely enough women who found him attractive and with his new car, they'd be never ending. But she never could muster up the courage to tell him and so she sat and could only watch as he suffered.

As Emma continued her walk towards the choir room, she contemplated the reason why she was being drawn there. She and Will had become friends again so it wasn't a bad thing to want to wish your friend a Merry Christmas, was it?

She wouldn't be seeing Will until school started up again in January and it was very impolite to leave for the short recess without saying goodbye and Emma was never one to be impolite.

She had no reason to dread walking down that hallway. She was just going to wish her _friend_ a merry christmas, that was all.

As she neared Will's office she could hear the mumble of his voice and she wondered if he was talking to himself or to somebody else. She saw all of the glee club members leave with the rest of the students and Emma thought, aside from the janitors, that she and Will were the only two faculty that were there.

She approached the door quietly and peered in through the small window in his door. Will was hunched over his desk, his head rested in the palm of his hand while his other hand held his cell phone to his ear.

There was a crack in the door and Will's clear voice finally reached her ears.

"I don't know Dad I just...I kind of want to be alone this year."

Emma frowned at the word. She knew that Will had been lonely lately and that was mostly her fault but she still hated to see him like that.

"I've spent almost every holiday with you and Mom since I was born Dad, I won't be missing anything."

Emma moved to the other side of the door and leaned against the wall, looking over her shoulder to get a glimpse of Will. She hated how bitter he sounded, bitterness is not something she was used to hearing in Will Schuester's smooth vocals.

Will sighed heavily and switched his phone to his other hand and lowered his free hand to the desk to fiddle with a pencil. "I know Dad and that's why I don't want to go. They'll be throwing all these questions at me about Terri and I don't want to deal with that right now. I don't want to bother explaining that the reason I'm not myself is not because of Terri either." His voice became lower and developed a sad undertone at the last phrase and Emma's heart sunk. She placed her hand over her pounding heart and holding her breath, waited for him to speak again.

"Yes its because of Emma." Emma's heart fluttered and she stifled a gasp at Will's defensive tone. Will's free hand moved back up to his hair and he gripped at his curls tightly. "She's all I can think about these days." His voice softened and Emma swore she heard it shake. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that she's dating someone else. It's-" He paused and took a shaky breath, running his hand all the way through his curls and down his neck. "It's killing me Dad."

Emma's eyes widened and her breath caught in her chest. She closed her eyes tightly as Will's quick response to his father came drifting out the door,

"I know, Dad, I know it isn't fair and you're right, you're absolutely right, Emma loves this guy who am I to stand in the way?" Will's sounded dejected and Emma wanted nothing more than to run in there and hug all of his pain away.

"You think I don't want her to be happy?" Will continued on, his voice raising slightly. "I want her to be happy. All I've ever wanted was for her to be happy, especially after what I did to her. But-" He trailed off and sighed again as he ran a hand over his face. "But I want to be happy too." His voice shook again and he pushed back from the desk to slump against the back of the chair. It was then that Emma got a good look at his face. She had never seen such a miserable look on his face before, not even when he told her about Terri's fake pregnancy. To realize that she was hurting Will more than Terri did made her nearly burst into tears at the spot. She always thought Terri was a monster for hurting Will like that, she never thought anyone could be so cruel as to break that man's heart. Emma had become that cruel and even crueler because she had not only broken his heart once, but over and over again.

"And for some reason..." Will continued, shaking his head and staring miserably at the ground. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a pathetic laugh, "For some reason I can't see that happening without Emma."

Emma's hand flew to her mouth and she fought desperately to contain a sob. If the littlest noise escaped her Will would surely notice that she was there and she wasn't sure if she could handle that.

Will turned in his chair so his back was facing the door to the hallway and he spoke again. "Maybe I'm crazy..." He mumbled something else but Emma took off towards her office before she got a chance to hear what it was.

She wasn't sure if Will could hear the loud click of her heels as she raced down the hallway but at the moment she didn't really care. She ran through the dimmed hallways until she reached her office, flung the door open, slammed it closed and then leaned up against the glass, wishing that her office wasn't so see through.

She brought her hands to cover her mouth and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall with all her might. She had cried over Will Schuester one too many times and she refused to cry over him again especially when she almost had herself convinced that she was over him.

The only problem was it wasn't Will's fault that she was on the verge of tears, it was hers. She had broken Will's heart and though she tried to ignore his pathetic looks every time the heartbroken look crossed his face her heart broke too. She cursed herself for feeling guilty about hurting Will because she knew it was stupid of her. He was the one who hurt her, she should be glad that he was in misery.

But Emma wasn't and never could be that type of person. She could not boast in someone else's misery especially when she was the one who was causing it.

The truth of the matter was, she still cared about Will. She cared for Will a lot more than she would like to.

She had a wonderful man after all. Carl was respectable, gentlemanly, patient, clean, baggage free and one of the best men she had ever known. Her heart fluttered when he smiled at her, her pulse raced when he held her hand or kissed her, she felt loved and best of all she felt happy.

Another truth that she hated to admit to herself was that she was only happy when she was with Carl, physically with Carl. Carl made her forget about all the drama involving Will when they went out together but as soon as she was left alone, her thoughts drifted towards Will. She was supposed to be on top of the world all of the time, isn't that what if felt like to be in love?

During that very brief time that she and Will were happily together, Emma did feel on top of the world. Instead of going home with a loneliness in her heart or tears behind her eyes, she went home with a smile and she was truly, truly happy.

Carl didn't make her feel that way no matter how badly she wanted him too. She begged for a release from the chains that Will unknowingly held on her but release never came. Just when she thought the chains might be loosening and she would be able to slither free, Will's recent words snapped her back in and held her tighter than ever before.

The scary part of all of that was that she didn't want to fight the chains anymore and it was more than just giving up out of sheer exhaustion. She wanted to stay chained.

_No._ She gasped with a startling realization. She didn't want to be chained, she wanted to be _free_ because the chains that were holding her were not Will's they were Carl's.

With Carl, she was safe, her heart was safe. He was easy to be with because he was so understanding and helpful in her problems and he was mess free both physically and emotionally. Carl was helping her a lot with her OCD and mysophobia, she stopped cleaning every surface before touching it and her panic attacks had calmed whenever she created a mess. But Carl had yet to tackle her biggest mess of all: her relationship with Will.

Emma knew there was nothing that Carl could do to help her with that mess but she could use the advice he already gave her. He once told her to fight back against the mess and not run away from it like she always had in the past.

She had avoided all topics of their past with Will because she wanted to avoid a mess. Her heart had become a mess when she found out about Shelby and April and she knew that hearing Will's excuses about it would only make it worse.

But she never gave him the chance to explain himself not that any explanation was needed but she still should have given him the chance. It might not have made a difference but at least it would not be sitting between them as a giant mess that Emma refused to clean up.

Carl kept Emma behind the fence of her heart and after experiencing what heart break truly felt like, Emma was content to stay behind that fence. That was until fate tempted her again.

Will beckoned her to break free and to take a chance on him and deep down in her heart she knew that he'd protect her from all harm that was certainly to come but Emma hesitated because she liked the feeling of being safe.

As Emma dried her teary eyes and made her way towards her desk she wondered if it was really worth the risk. Was she willing to break the chains that held her to safety risking the chance that she might get hurt again?

Will had taken a lot of risks and it wound up breaking his heart. He was suffering but he took the risks just to get the chance to have the one he truly loved. Even though the fight seemed pointless, Will still never gave up at his shot until recently. Will was kicked and bruised and beaten so badly that he clearly debated throwing in the towel. He had the chance to move on to greener pastures where someone else could mend his wounds but he stayed where he was, refusing treatment with the hope that maybe one day she'd be the one to clean him up.

Will said he wanted her to be happy and that he wouldn't stand in her way anymore. Emma wanted Will to be happy too but the only way he could be happy was if she was with him.

And...

the only way _she_ could be truly happy...

was if she was with him.

The force of what just occurred in her thoughts hit Emma hard and a tremor ran through her body. She placed her hands on her desk and closed her eyes for a fleeting moment.

She opened her eyes a few moments later and was floored when she saw Will standing outside her door. Her heart leapt into her throat because she thought for a moment that Will had heard her outside his door.

But Will only smiled sadly and pointed to the door to which she nodded silently. Will pushed open the door and slowly walked in.

"Hey," He breathed warmly as if he hadn't been venting to his father about how much he needed her just fifteen minutes ago, "I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you would have left."

Emma swallowed over the sudden lump in her throat and then shrugged. "Well, I um.. had alot of paperwork to finish."

Will nodded and Emma's eyes were glued to him as he stepped further. Will hesitated at seeing her look and paused right behind his usual chair.

"So," He cleared his throat and forced a bigger smile, "Do you have any plans for the holidays?"

Emma's heart plummeted deep down into her stomach and subtly placed a hand over her suddenly nauseated stomach. "Um..." She whispered and glanced down at her desk before quickly snapping her gaze up to his face, "Yeah, uh yeah. I'm going to my parents' house in Virginia...with Carl."

Will's forced smile quickly dropped and she could see the flicker of pain in his eyes. Will shifted uncomfortably for a moment and then the forced smile returned.

Emma's heart clenched once again at the obvious pain he was in.

"Going to meet the parents, hm? Must be really getting serious then."

Emma could tell he was trying, and failing, to keep his voice even. She sighed heavily because up until fifteen minutes ago things were getting serious but now doubts filled her mind so all she could do was nod.

Will rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well um...I hope you have a good time. I mean, I know you will. There's nothing better than spending time with your family especially if you have someone there that you care about...and you do." His lips twitched in a sad smile. "Your family is going to love Carl, he's really good for you Em."

Those words combined with her nickname nearly stopped Emma's heart. Of all the semi-nice things that Will had said about Carl that had to be the nicest of all. His words were completely selfless and with them she knew that he had completely given up the fight.

Well he might have, but she wouldn't.

"How long will you two be staying there?" Will asked.

"Two weeks." Emma whispered. "We'll be coming home a few days before school starts up again."

Will's face fell and he nodded slowly. He licked his lips and wrung his hands together behind his back.

"Oh...well then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I really hope you enjoy every moment of your vacation because you deserve it more than anyone Em. And don't sweat the small things, alright? Enjoy them because those little memories are the best memories of all and you'll hold onto them for the rest of your life."

Emma slowly stood up from her chair and walked around her desk, slowly approaching Will.

Will followed her movements with his eyes but they didn't seem to question her actions. He shrugged and let out a breath of a laugh, "At least that's how I see it anyway I don't know about y-"

He was suddenly cut off when Emma closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. Will blinked in surprise as Emma's hand came to rest on the side of his face and she pushed herself further into the kiss.

Underneath her she could feel Will's lips moving against her own but his body remained frozen. She broke their lip lock for a second only to move in again moments later for a more gentle and loving kiss.

Then suddenly, with her hands rested on his chest, she pushed away from him, a panicked look on her face. Will's eyes slowly blinked open and he stared at her in a mixture of confusion and hope.

Emma's breath caught in her chest and she slowly dropped her hands to her sides and backed away slowly. Will lifted an eyebrow but said not a word.

Emma bit her lip and continued to back up until she collided with the desk but never took her eyes off of Will.

She wasn't sure what had just happened, she had never acted on an impulse like that before and it scared her. But she had been suppressing her feelings for him for so long and after hearing how much Will needed her she realized that she needed him too and she couldn't let him go even if he was willing to let her go.

Will cocked his head as the two of them continued to stare at each other. Emma swallowed hard and shrunk under Will's questioning gaze. She wished she could answer his unasked questions but she was just as clueless as he was.

Her panicked expression slowly faded into something more calm and her lips twitched slightly. A flicker of hope and joy started to light his eyes and just when a smile started to form on his lips a knock sounded on her door.

Emma jumped and looked past Will. She inhaled sharply at the sight of the handsome dentist outside her door, smiling and waving at her.

Will's smile immediately fell and he furrowed his brow, turning to face the door and his whole body visibly slumped at the sight of Carl.

Without a word from Emma, Carl pushed open the door and stepped inside. "There you are Emma." He flashed a grin at her that usually made Emma melt but that day only made her want to crawl under a rock and hide. "I was looking all over for you."

Carl then noticed Will and he flashed a friendly smile in his direction. "Hey there Will."

Will tried to force a smile and he nodded once. "Hey Carl."

Carl turned back towards Emma and took a few steps toward her. "Are you almost ready to go Em? I have my apartment set up for our date."

Will's eyes narrowed slightly at he use of the nickname and Emma caught his look. Will's face softened and the downcast look returned to his face. Despite the kiss that they just shared, Will still had lost Emma to Carl.

"Merry Christmas Emma." Will whispered breathlessly and then without another word, rushed out of the room.

Emma frowned and was tempted to call after him but Carl's looming presence stopped her. Carl shrugged off Will's odd behavior and smiled at Emma, moving to wrap her in a one armed hug. Emma half smiled up at her boyfriend and held back a dejected sigh when he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

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Like Will had told his father he had stayed home alone for Christmas even after his mother got on the phone and begged him. Even though he told Emma that being with your family on the holidays was one of the best feelings in the world, the last thing he wanted to do was be with his family. His mother and aunts would be drunk, his father and uncles and younger male cousins would be huddled around the television watching something sports related and his younger female cousins would be whining, complaining that they lost their gossip buddy. He was going to get pity and he didn't want pity. He didn't want to be swarmed by millions of questions about his divorce about the loss of his "baby" and about Emma and since he didn't feel like talking about what had happened in any of those situations he opted to stay home.

His father tried to convince him that he'd have to answer those questions someday but Will responded that he'd do it someday but that someday wouldn't be soon. He was in no mood to celebrate and since he knew he'd be the party pooper he thought it'd be best if he just stayed home.

His parents offered to cancel their annual Christmas get together with the rest of their family and come down to his apartment to spend it with him and him alone but he turned them down. His parents would have a lot more fun with the other members of their family then they would with just him especially because of his mood.

Christmas was supposed to be a jolly, happy time but all Will wanted to do was cry. He had had Emma for a brief second and then she was violently snatched away from him before he even got a chance to enjoy it.

He never thought something could hurt so much. Losing Emma was bad enough but losing her because of his own stupid mistakes and seeing her happy with a man who was a lot better for her than he was was torturous. He wanted to see Emma happy and that was why he was letting her go, because keeping her away from Carl when she had a chance to be happy after he broke her heart was incredibly selfish and wrong. It might kill him to do so but he had to let her go.

For the days leading up to Christmas Eve he submersed himself in glee club work. He barely slept at night and came up with so many song ideas and arrangements it would even be too much for Rachel to process.

The evening of the twenty third of december he passed out on his couch from sleep and food depravation. He had eaten over the course of the last few days but only what remained in his refrigerator and cabinets and since he hadn't gone shopping in a while, was really not more than some cans of soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The latter food choice only made him think of his lost love which sent him spiraling down into a deeper depression and forced him to work even harder on the glee club work to distract him from his misery.

He woke up close to noon on Christmas Eve and didn't move for practically the whole day. He turned on the television to ABC Family where Christmas special after christmas special ran. He watched everything from Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer to The Santa Claus until his eyes started to water from watching the screen for too long.

Throughout the day, his phone kept ringing and he could hear his parents voices floating through the answering machine and as the day progressed he could hear the noise in the background and the slur in his mother's words. He ignored their desperate pleas to return their calls and curled into the backside of the couch as he fell asleep to the background noise of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'.

He slept soundly through the night, his dreams surprisingly free of the red head who had claimed every bit of his conscious and unconscious mind for the last few months.

He woke up on Christmas morning with an emptiness deep inside him and not just because he hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours. He hadn't spent a Christmas without Terri in years and he was so miserable he actually found himself missing her company. Her face was always so jovial and bright on Christmas morning and it was one of the times, in the last few years of their marriage, that he actually enjoyed her company. She didn't snap at him, possibly because she was a little hung over from the alcohol she would consume at his parents house, and although he splurged alot to get her the gifts she wanted it was one time he was happy to do it because it was Christmas and it was his wife.

He glanced around at his barren of all Christmas paraphernalia apartment and tried to remember last years Christmas. Though that only brought back more bad memories because he had bought her alot of baby clothes that still remained in a bag in his closet because he didn't have the heart to throw them out.

He blinked and suddenly the scene was transformed around him. The apartment was decorated in pretty decorate wreaths and tinsel hung from atop the curtains. There was a fake but beautifully decorated tree in the corner where the TV usually was. There were a few shiny gifts under the tree and two stockings hung from the wall where a fire place he didn't know he had appeared.

His name was written neatly in script on one of the red stockings and next to it another four letter word sunk into his heart.

He suddenly sat up and found himself covered in a blanket stitched with pictures of santa claus, reindeer and snow covered pine trees. He looked propped himself up on his knees and looked around the apartment and only saw more Christmas decorations. He stumbled onto his feet and stepped across the soft carpet as he was drawn to a framed picture on the table in the far corner of the room.

In the picture he was sitting in what looked like a horse drawn carriage and cuddled into his side, with her cheeks tinted as red as her hair, was Emma with a smile so bright it could light up the lights on the Christmas tree in the other corner. Snow freckled her green pea coat and her fire red hair that stood out against the white background. He picked up the frame in his hands and flipped it over a few times to make sure it was real then he placed it back down on the table and then noticed a framed piece of paper with a phrase written in Emma's beautiful handwriting: 'I will always love you'. He let out a breath and turned to get a closer look at the apartment. He realized that he wasn't in his apartment at all, he was in another apartment that he had never seen before.

His eyes widened as he spotted another picture on top of the fireplace and he raced over there to grab it in his hands. The woman dressed in green and fire red in the carriage ride was now dressed in white, the same smile on her face as her arms were thrown tightly around his neck. His smile matched her own and it was then that he noticed the gold band around his finger. He nearly dropped the beautiful wedding photo out of shock and placed it back on the shelf before he broke it. He glanced down at the gold band and twisted it around his finger.

"You're awake." A voice brought his attention away from the ring and towards the source. Emma was leaning in the doorway, smiling at him, dressed in a powder blue nightgown with white snowflakes printed all over the material.

His jaw dropped and as he tried to take a step forward, he stumbled over his feet and almost fell on his face.

He heard a squeak from Emma and then her adorable giggle as she practically floated across the room. Her hand landed on his upper arm without hesitance and then she slipped her arm around his waist.

"I am never letting you drink egg nog at your mothers again." Emma scolded lightly and he could only stare down at her in shock. She giggled and pecked his cheek, "You better lie down Will before you hurt yourself."

She took him by the hand and led him back to the couch. She pushed him down and then leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Go to sleep Will."

"No!" He practically yelped and Emma's eyes widened in surprise. Then she chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. "You're way too tired to function honey. Your presents can wait Will, they're not going anywhere."

Will felt his eyes growing heavy as Emma continued to stroke his hair and he struggled to keep them open. Emma started to hum quietly into his ear and Will felt it increasingly difficult to stay awake and soon surrendered to the darkness.

His eyes opened only moments later and he was met with his bland and barren apartment. His heart clenched painfully at the realization that that was just a dream. He didn't even realize he had fallen back asleep. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair and immediately regretted it because he could still vividly feel the softness of Emma's hands as they gently rubbed his scalp.

His whole upper body ached, from hunger and from heart break and he decided to do something about the only thing he could do something about. He was shaky on his feet and his legs felt like jello as he stumbled his way towards the kitchen.

Still on the counter from nearly two days earlier laid the bag of bread and the peanut butter and jelly containers. Clenching his jaw to keep it from quivering he slowly made himself a sandwich.

After cleaning every utensil and dirty dish he had left in the sink, for its what Emma would do, he took the sandwich back to the couch and ate it quietly, trying to distract himself again by watching whatever special was on.

Just as finished his sandwich, his phone rang and he reluctantly answered it to assure his parents that he was alive. Once again they extended the offer to come over but he assured them that he was fine but the truth was he didn't need his parents to see him in his worst state.

After he hung up with his parents, he took a shower in order to feel not completely disgusting. He dressed in some old gray sweat pants and a green Christmas sweater his mother had got for him last Christmas and retreated back to his place on the couch.

He felt slightly more refreshed now that he was clean and fed and his mood was slightly lifted. He flipped the tv station to a football game in order to feel slightly more manly than he had been lately.

The game was almost halfway over when he was suddenly startled by a knock on his door. He wasn't really in the mood for company but his curiosity got the better of him and he made his way towards the front door. He spied through the eye hole and upon seeing who was outside his door, unlocked and flew open the door faster than he thought possible.

Emma was standing in his doorway, smiling shyly up at him, dressed in a green peacoat. "Hi Will."

Will blinked in shock for a few moments and then he let a smile tug at his lips. "Hey."

Emma blushed under his gaze and she cleared her throat. "Can I um, can I come in?"

"What? Oh yes, yes of course!" He stepped aside and Emma smiled gratefully and stepped into his apartment. Will followed her every move, afraid that if he took his eyes off of her for one second she'd disappear again.

Will slowly closed the door and Emma turned to face him and Will noticed a small rectangular box in her hands.

Will stared at the box for a few seconds and then snapped his gaze to her face and locked eyes with her. "I'm a little confused...what are you doing here, Em? I thought you said you were going to be in Virginia...with C-Carl."

Emma sighed quietly and shifted on her feet. "Yes, um, I was in Virginia but I came home early."

"Why?" Will whispered, not daring to hope.

"Carl and I broke up Will." She answered quietly and his breath caught in his chest.

"What happened, Emma?" Though he was ecstatic on the inside he showed his true concern for her on the outside. "I thought things were going good with him."

"They were." Emma nodded. "They were going good, really good but..." She licked her lips and shook her head, smiling hesitantly at him, "not good enough." She let out a breath and took a few steps towards him.

"I'm sorry." Will whispered and he truly meant it. He wanted to see Emma happy and if things didn't work out with Carl then she probably wasn't feeling too great.

"Don't be." Emma whispered with a hint of a smile. "Carl and I we just weren't meant to be. I should have realized that a long time ago."

"I don't understand Emma." Will shook his head. "Carl was a really good match for you."

"He was." Emma agreed. "But he wasn't my _perfect_ match and that title only belongs to one man."

Her eyes locked onto his and Will suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"I hope you find him one day." Will murmured breathlessly.

"I already found him." Emma replied in the same tone. "I found him on September 5th, 2007 and I feel terrible for making him wait this long for me."

As soon as the date left Emma's lips, Will's heart almost stopped beating. He remembered that date like it was a national holiday. It was the date that Emma first started working at McKinley High and it was the day he had met the love of his life and didn't even know it.

"Emma..." He whispered, shaking his head slowly.

She smiled up at him and gave him a curt nod. She licked her lips and her warm smile faded into a stern line. "We have a lot to talk about Will but first I want to give you this."

She extended her hands with the rectangular box resting in her palms. Opening his mouth so he could let some air into his lungs, he reached out to take the box from her.

"Emma, you didn't have to get me anything."

Emma smiled shyly and shrugged. "It's just something little but I think it'll mean alot to you."

Will stared into her eyes for a few moments and then gently tore off the paper to reveal what looked like a jewelry box. He lifted his head and raised his eyebrow at Emma, who smirked and motioned for him to keep going.

He let out a breath and pulled off the cover of the box and tears immediately sprung to his eyes at the contents.

Resting in the rectangular box was a piece of paper with a handwritten message:

_I will always love you._

It was the same exact image that remained imprinted in his brain from his dream. A tear slipped down his cheek and Emma's face fell at his reaction.

"I'm too late aren't I?" Her voice was meek and Will lifted his head and she blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry Will..."

Will placed the cover back on the box and placed it down on the table in the hallway then he bounded forward and captured Emma in his arms.

Emma froze under his touch, but purely on shock alone and then she relaxed into his arms. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, inhaling his scent.

"You're never too late." Will whispered fervently into her hair. "I would have waited forever just to hold you again."

"Will..." She sighed into his chest and his arms tightened around her. He started to place feather light kisses all over the top of her head.

"Emma, Emma, Emma." He whispered her name over and over again and Emma melted further into his arms.

Words could not describe how relieved he was and the joy he felt. He knew that he and Emma still had a lot to talk about and alot more hurdles to jump over but for now Emma was his and he would never let her go again.

As he sighed an "i love you" into her ear and felt her snuggle into his chest he knew that could not have wished for a better Christmas present.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As requested I made a follow up chapter. Wemma fluff galore!

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Alot can happen in three hundred and sixty five days. On Christmas Day 2010, Will woke up alone and feeling more miserable than he had in his entire life. On Christmas Day 2011, Will woke up with the woman he loved by his side and feeling happier than he ever had in his entire life.

He tightened his hold around the woman in his arms and nuzzled his nose into her unruly red hair, careful not to wake her. Emma was adorable in everything she did but Will thought she had to be the most adorable when she was asleep.

Will adored watching her sleep; The way she curled into his side and fit there like a perfect piece of a puzzle, the way her lips would curl up into a smile when her sleep was peaceful or the way her brow furrowed and twitched when a nightmare claimed her dreams, the way her bangs fell over her forehead and best of all the way she was totally relaxed despite the rare nightmare. All of her issues and problems that she worried about and faced during the day completely faded as she rested in her dream world.

Emma began to stir in his arms and he rubbed the pad of his thumb gently against the soft skin of her upper arm. Emma hummed quietly in contentment and turned her face into his chest for a second or two and then lifted her head, her eyes fluttering open.

Her warm brown eyes were sleepy but her smile was loving as she stared into his eyes. "Good Morning." She greeted in a sleepy whisper.

He smiled as he brushed her bangs off of her forehead. "Merry Christmas."

Emma's smile brightened and she propped herself up on her elbow. "Merry Christmas."

Will started to lean in for a sweet good morning kiss but Emma's hand shot out and covered his mouth. She smiled wordlessly and Will nodded in understanding.

Will pushed himself up into a sitting position as Emma scampered off towards the bathroom. Although Emma had improved somewhat in her OCD and mysophobia there were some things that she still refused to do; like kiss him before she brushed her teeth in the morning. Will hardly minded though, he fell in love with _all_ of Emma Pillsbury especially her little quirks.

Nearly two minutes later, Emma reentered the room and slithered back onto the bed. Will opened his arms to her looking forward to cuddle time but Emma had other plans.

She crawled over to him, propped herself up on her knees and then swung one leg over his thighs and straddled him there.

Will cocked an eyebrow and his lips pursed out in question but before he could get a sound out, Emma's lips crashed down onto his own.

Will blinked in surprise for a second or two before willingly giving into the kiss. His hands found their way to her hips and he held her tiny frame to him as their kiss grew deeper with each passing second.

Emma placed her hands on his shoulders and started to push him down so he was once again lying on his back.

She smirked against his lips as he grunted quietly and her hands began to travel lower. She shifted her weight so she was now straddling his lower waist another low groaned emitted from Will's throat.

Emma's hands slipped under his white undershirt and he shivered underneath her as her fingernails lightly scratched against his muscles as her hands travelled up his torso.

His grip tightened around her waist and just as the white shirt started to bunch at his neck he broke the kiss and his hands shot up to grab her wrists lightly.

"Em, what has gotten into you this morning?"

She grinned slyly down at him, her hands remaining stationed on his bare chest. "It's Christmas Will. Can't I give you my present?"

He opened his mouth to reply but Emma's lips came down upon his again. Within a few moments, with little help from Will, she managed to get the white shirt off his body and her hands continued their exploration of the fine male specimen before her.

Will could barely move, some what out of pleasure but mostly out of shock. Emma rarely initiated intimacy and the only other time Will recalled her doing so was when he got her a little drunk.

Will didn't know what to think, should he stop her before she pushed herself beyond what she was ready for, or should he give into the feeling of desire and pleasure that was over coming him?

With little to no consideration he chose the latter and brought his hand up to tangle in Emma's hair as he contributed equally to their steamy make out.

He slipped his free arm around her waist and flipped them over so he was hovering over her. Emma squeaked as her body collided with the mattress but then just as quickly hitched her leg around Will's lower back. She trailed her fingers down his abs and dipped just below his pant line causing his body to shudder slightly. She pushed down on his back with her leg and just managed to flip them back over so he was on his back again.

Will was once again shocked into immobility and as Emma's lips and hands wandered he wondered if she had drunken a bit more than he realized the night before.

Emma's fingers tugged at the draw strings of his pants and he moaned softly against her lips in protest. "Em." He whispered and pecked her lips once more before breaking the kiss all together, "Emma, darling, I'm going to have to stop you there."

Emma frowned as she sat up, her hands resting flat against his abs.

"Not that I don't like what you're doing because I do." He cleared his throat as he glanced down at the slight bulge in the front of his pant and then snapped his eyes back up towards Emma. "But you wiped me out last night Em," He smirked as she blushed heavily and ducked her head slightly, "and if you want _your_ present to be worth your while you're going to have to feed me."

Emma pouted and then sighed quietly, crawling off of him. "Will Schuester, moment killer." She mumbled quietly.

He lifted his brow as he sprung up, causing her to jolt back, her eyes wide with surprise. He grinned mischievously, "Yeah?" He leaped forward and trapped her to the bed, his fingers viciously attacking her sides.

Emma squeaked with laughter as she started to writhe against the bed, trying to escape him. "Will!" She screeched, her hysterical laughter making it nearly impossible for anything other than his name to escape her lips in protest.

She pushed violently at his chest but his strength dominated hers and he continued to tickle her mercilessly.

After nearly a minute of tickling Emma so hard that she could barely breathe, Will stopped to stare down at her. Her hair was sprawled around her head like a red halo, her cheeks were slightly flushed from laughing so hard and her lips were pouted out in a pitiful glare. He chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss the sour look off of her face.

She sighed against his lips as her hand came to rest on the side of his face. They kissed sweetly for a few moments before Emma pushed at Will's chest and before he knew what had happened, she was off the bed and heading towards the doorway.

"Emma?" He called out to her, momentarily disoriented.

She glanced over her shoulder and smirked at him. A mischievous grin spread across his lips and with a glint in his hazel eyes he leaped off the bed and took off after a squealing Emma.

He chased her into the kitchen and captured her around the waist, crushing her back into his still bare chest. She giggled and twisted herself in his arms, throwing her arms around his neck and meeting his lips in a tender kiss.

"I believe someone said he was hungry." Emma poked his chest lightly after their kiss broke.

A grumble from Will's stomach answered her question for him and Emma laughed. Will smiled at the musical sound of her laughter and kissed her once more quickly before he released her from his hold.

"What do you want to eat Will?" Emma asked as she walked further into the kitchen.

"Chocolate chip pancakes." He grinned childishly and she smirked over her shoulder at him. She let out a small giggle at the adorable, dorky grin on his face and lifted herself onto her toes to open the cabinet that held the pancake mix.

As she lowered the box to the counter, she noticed Will was beaming and she shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure what you love more Will. Me or chocolate chip treats."

Will approached her and slipped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder lightly. "That is a toughie." He mused and she elbowed his ribs lightly.

He groaned quietly and let out a small laugh as he kissed her cheek softly. "You." He whispered near her ear and she shivered as his breath tickled her. "Just by a little."

She frowned and elbowed him again, a little harder that time. His body jolted from the force and he let out another groan. "Alright," He relented, "Maybe by a lot."

She smiled triumphantly and he chuckled, kissing the skin of her cheeks and upper jawline softly.

"Will." She moaned quietly as her eyes fluttered closed. Will's lips descended towards her neck and she let out a slow breathe, her hand reaching behind her to tangle her fingers in Will's sloppy curls.

He hummed against her flushed skin and his lips curled up in a smirk. "Definitely you." He mumbled against her skin.

Just as Will's lips made their way towards hers, Emma elbowed him again and he pulled back slightly with a small "oof". He shot her a mock glare, "You really need to stop doing that."

She smiled and pecked his cheek, releasing his hair. "And you need to stop kissing me while I'm trying to make _your_ breakfast."

He smirked and reluctantly released her, moving to stand beside her. She opened the cabinets to search for the bowls she needed and Will crossed his arms, resting back against the counters to watch her.

Once Emma got everything organized on the counter tops she started to mix the ingredients together occasionally sneaking glances to the shirtless Will, her cheeks growing redder with each passing glance.

Will smirked observing her glances and flushed cheeks. "See something you like Emma?"

She blushed heavily and concentrated intently on the bowl of pancake mix. "Be quiet." She mumbled and then added, "and go put on a shirt."

He barked a laugh. "Yes Ma'am." He jumped out of the way of her arm swatting out to slap him and he practically danced out of the room.

She let out a slow deep breathe, shaking her head to clear her head.

Will returned a minute later with a tight fitting green long sleeved shirt and as Emma turned to her head to see him, she found herself swooning.

The fact that she got to wake up every morning and see him there, smiling at her, kissing her, loving her was the most amazing thing in the world to Emma. Almost every woman claimed that they were the luckiest woman in the world to have their man but Emma truly had to be the luckiest. She definitely did not deserve the man standing only a few feet away from her, she did not deserve the love he gave her every day, she did not deserve his unwavering patience when she had a meltdown, but she thanked the heavens every day for giving him to her.

"Um...Em?" Will's voice brought her back to Earth and he pointed to the stove she was working over.

Emma titled her head towards the stove and her eyes widened at the realization that she was burning the pancakes. She worked quickly to flip them over before Will would have to eat charcoal for breakfast.

After the batter started to sizzle, she smiled sheepishly towards Will and he chuckled, walking over to her.

He slipped an arm around her and looked down at the slightly browned pancakes.

"Sorry." Emma muttered, leaning into his side.

He kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry about it Em. I like them like that."

"No you don't." She protested, tilting her head up to look at him. "You like them soft and fluffy."

He shrugged. "I'll take what I can get." He smiled at her and pecked her lips. "Anything you make for me will be amazing."

She flushed and buried her head into his chest as he grinned and tightened his grip around her.

When the pancakes were nearly ready, Emma asked Will to set the table and he complied with her request, bringing two sets of tableware to the table.

Emma placed all the finished pancakes on a dish and momentarily left the dirty dishes on the counter and stove top. Will was already seated at the table, eagerly awaiting his breakfast as Emma set the plate in the center of the table.

Will grabbed his fork and stuck it through three of the pancakes and brought them all onto his plate. Emma grinned at his man of an appetite and quietly sat down in the chair next to him.

Will eyed her and then eyed the mess on the counter and then focuses his eyes back on her. His face softened and a loving smile crossed his face as he told her adoringly, "I love you."

Emma beamed brightly and daintily reached for one of the pancakes. Will stared at her in awe for a good few moments before he eventually decided to feed his hunger.

Will devoured all the pancakes on his plate before Emma was halfway done with hers, not that she minded. Pancakes weren't one of her favorite breakfast meals so she was willing to part with them for the sake of feeding the man she loved.

Emma managed to sneak another one before Will devoured the whole plate and as soon as they were finished, Emma brought their dirty dishes and silverware to the sink and washed everything thoroughly while Will disappeared into the living room.

After making sure that the kitchen was spotless, Emma made her way into the living room and laughed aloud at seeing Will standing in front of the Christmas tree with a santa hat over his curly head, grinning brightly at her.

"When did you get that?" Emma laughed as she approached him.

"I stole it from my parents last night." He explained and she shook her head, reaching up to play with the little white ball hanging off the back of the hat.

She trailed her hand down his neck, over his shoulder and rested both of her hands against his green-clad chest. "You're dressed in the wrong color Santa."

He chuckled lightly. "What if Santa wanted a change in color? Red can be a sickening color after wearing it for hundreds of years."

Emma laughed and she smiled, staring into his eyes. "Santa does look really handsome dressed in green."

Will smiled down at her and wordlessly captured her lips in another sweet kiss.

After their brief kiss, they settled down on the floor in front of the fake but beautifully decorated Christmas tree and Will reached out to grab a shiny present and placed it in Emma's lap.

Emma beamed at him for a moment before carefully unwrapping the wrapping paper from the box. She took off the top cover of the box and gasped quietly at the contents. Lying on the top was a periwinkle colored cardigan and underneath that was another yellow colored one.

"Will.." She whispered, grinning over to him, placing a hand over heart, "This is wonderful."

He grinned and winked. "And you haven't seen anything yet."

Her eyes widened as she scanned the various boxes under the tree, her heart swelling in anticipation of what Will could have bought her.

Will reached for another one but Emma slapped his hand away. "Your turn." She explained and reached for one on the other side of the tree.

Will hastily but carefully undid the beautifully wrapped gift. Tears pricked at his eyes at the picture in his hands.

He had never forgotten that dream he had right before he got his Emma back. Slowly, everything in that dream was coming true. When he and Emma decided to move in together a few months ago, they went apartment shopping and when Will saw the interior of one of the apartments he knew he had found his literal dream apartment. When Christmas time came around, he and Emma decorated the apartment in almost the exact same way he had seen it in his dream and he had framed that piece of paper with Emma's message on it. And now, he held in his hands, the picture of them on the horse drawn carriage which they had downtown a few days earlier.

He brought the picture frame to rest over his heart and a tearful smile crossed his face. If someone had come in and presented him a check for ten million dollars it sill would not have out ranked the gift currently in his hold.

"Will?" Will felt Emma's soft hand brush against his forearm and he opened his eyes. She stared at him curiously, silently asking him if he was alright.

He smiled brightly and leaned over to kiss her softly. "This is perfect Emma. Thank you." He murmured against her lips.

Emma seemed skeptical but as Will placed the picture frame down gently next to him and reached for the next present, she let it go.

For the next ten minutes more gifts were exchanged along with hugs, tears and kisses.

Will rested back against the couch while Emma rested in-between his legs and his arms were around her and Emma traced patterns on his arms through his shirt. She sighed contentedly as she rested back against his chest.

Will pressed soft kisses to the skin of her exposed shoulder blades and she giggled quietly. She just turned to meet his lips in a kiss when something caught her eye.

She pulled out of his arms and crawled across the floor to reach under the tree for a small wrapped box. She noticed her name neatly written in Will's hand writing and she glanced over to him questioningly.

Will smiled and scooted closer to her, taking the box from her hands and unwrapping it for her. He held out the box towards her and Emma stared at him for a few seconds before her eyes widened in shock and she snapped her gaze down to the box.

Will swallowed the lump in his throat and opened the box, whispering her name as he did so.

Emma gasped and her hand flew to her cover her mouth at the beautiful ring that sat before her.

"Emma," Will cleared his throat and pushed himself onto his knees as his heart beat wildly in his chest. "Emma Pillsbury, I love you so much and I want to be yours forever. Emma, will you marry me?"

Tears sprung to Emma's eyes as her eyes remained glued to the engagement ring that could be hers. Her hand lowered to cover her pounding heart and she shook her head slowly. "I-I don't know what to say." She whispered.

"Say yes." Will offered breathlessly with a hesitant smile.

Emma lifted her gaze to Will and she swallowed hard. "We've only been together a year Will, it took ten years for you and Ter-"

"Don't." He cut her off with a stern yet gently and loving look. "Don't compare our relationship to mine and Terri's relationship. They're completely different." Still holding the opened box in his hands, he moved to sit next to her and took one of her hands in his, intwining their fingers together.

Emma's tearful gaze settled on Will as he went on. "It took nearly ten years for me to gather up the courage to ask Terri to marry me because whenever I thought it was the right moment she'd do something that made me think otherwise. With Terri it was 'We've been together this long, we love each other, why not get married?' there was never a moment that I thought 'this is the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life.' Em," He squeezed her hand, "I've had one of those moments with you every day since we became a couple."

A few tears escaped her eyes but a bright smile crossed her lips and she let out a quiet whimper.

Will rested his forehead against hers for a few adoring seconds. "You're the love of my life Emma and going through what I went through last year without you made me realize that I can't live without you. I need you by my side forever and I'd be the happiest man in the universe if I had you as my wife."

He lifted his head and presented the ring again. "I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life so, Emma Pillsbury, I ask again, will you marry me?"

Emma let out a shuddering breath, covered her mouth with both of her hands to suppress a small sob and then lowered them seconds later as a breathtaking grin spread across her face. "Yes." She whispered.

She whimpered quietly as Will tried to register her single word of confirmation. As soon as he did, a thousand watt smile broke across his face, he slipped the ring on her finger and tackled her to the ground smothering her with kisses.

She giggled and cried against his kisses and then began to kiss him back. She tangled her fingers in his hair as their kisses grew hot, heavy and passionate.

"Emma, Emma, I love you so much." He muttered in-between kisses and she sighed against him with each word and kiss.

"I love you Will." She sighed against his lips. Suddenly Will broke all their contact as he moved to his knees by her side. Emma didn't have time to process what was happening as Will's arms slipped under her knees and behind her upper back and with little effort, Will pushed himself onto his feet, Emma resting bridal style in his arms.

Emma squeaked as she left the ground and threw her arms around Will's neck and then she grinned and buried her face into his neck.

"I think we have something to celebrate." Will whispered huskily into her ear and she shuddered against him. She tightened her grip around his neck and leaned up to kiss his jawline softly.

Will grinned down at her and captured her lips in another passionate kiss and leaving their living room a mess, the newly engaged couple headed towards their bedroom to relish in the real presents they gave and received: each other.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Hey everyone here's the final part to this Christmas series! It's very fluffy and I hope you enjoy it!

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Snow fell lightly upon the peaceful, small town of Lima, Ohio on Christmas Eve. The children were all asleep and tucked in their beds, dreaming of sugar plums and candy canes as they waited eagerly for Santa Claus to arrive.

All but one that is.

A seven month old brown haired, brown eyed, baby boy, who went by the name of James Matthew Schuester, didn't get the memo that Christmas time was one for giving and all his loving parents wanted for Christmas that year was to get a good nights sleep.

"Whose turn is it?" Emma groaned as she flipped over into her husband's chest.

"Don't remember." Came Will's muffled reply.

Their son continued to scream loudly until one of them was forced to move. Emma stirred in Will's arms but Will pushed her back down and sat up with a yawn.

"I'll get him." He told her, scratching the back of his head in a stretch.

"You sure?" Emma prompted already melting back into the bed.

"Yeah." He whispered and dropped a kiss to her forehead. "You get some sleep."

Emma nodded into the pillow, her eyes fluttering closed at his command. He rubbed her shoulder gently as he got up and yawned again as he walked out of the bedroom and towards the nursery.

He pushed the door open fully and the boy's cries were so loud that it was almost ear piercing. Will approached the crib and peered over the side where James was kicking his arms and legs wildly, his mouth was wide open to allow the screams and tears fell rapidly down his red, chubby cheeks.

"Hey little man." Will cooed, reaching into the crib and lifting James into his arms. "What's the matter, hm?" He bounced the infant in his arms for a moment or two and then rested him on hip.

James's cries were instantly silenced and he blinked wide eyed at his father. Will held his breath, waiting for the shrill cries to start again, since that was a stint that James liked to pull. He'd stop crying for a few seconds, stare blankly at whatever was in front of him and then start crying again, most of the time even louder than before.

However the cries never came and James instead giggled, smiled and raised his hand to Will's cheek to pat it.

Will let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he was finally quiet and continued to bounce him so he'd stay that way.

"He stopped."

Will whirled around to find Emma standing in the doorway, smiling sleepily.

"Yeah." Will sighed glancing down at James who had grabbed a fistful of Will's T-shirt and was trying to put it into his mouth. "I think he just wanted attention."

"Like father like son." Emma remarked with a smirk as she walked into the room.

Will stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed quietly. Emma came around to stand next to Will and as his mother came into view, James shifted his wide brown eyes over to her and had abandoned the hope of trying to get Will's shirt in his mouth and was now sucking happily on his knuckles.

"He's wide awake." Emma observed with a sigh. "You'd figure with all the crying he's been doing he'd be exhausted."

"Speaking of, why aren't you asleep?" Will cocked an eyebrow at her. "I offered to get him so you could sleep."

Emma smiled sheepishly, gazing lovingly at James. "My motherly instinct couldn't in good conscience let me go to sleep without knowing my baby was okay."

Will smiled adoringly down at her and upon catching his look, Emma blushed and bit her lip softly.

Will chuckled softly and shifted James on his hip. "So, we've got to get this monster to sleep."

Emma pursed her lips, holding her breath and then letting it out slowly, shaking her head. "Do you have any ideas?"

Will bit his lip in thought and glanced down at James who was still sucking happily on his knuckles, his eyes darting around the room.

"He always seems to fall asleep to music." Will said turning back to look at Emma.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "It's four o'clock in the morning, Will. I don't think our neighbors would be too pleased with us."

"I think our neighbors would be more pleased to hear the sweet sound of a melodic piano than the shrill cry of a baby." Will shot back pointedly.

Emma sucked on her lower lip and then nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right."

Will smiled in triumph and Emma rolled her eyes at him. "Come along, Mr. Schuester." She strolled towards the door, smiling over her shoulder. "We have a son to put to sleep."

Will smiled brightly and followed his wife out of the nursery towards the living room. Emma took the cover off of the keyboard she, plus the glee kids, had bought for him one year for his birthday. She folded the cover neatly and placed it in the basket against the wall and then turned to Will, extending her arms to take James from him.

Will shook his head, smirking lightly and nodded towards the piano. "You play, Em."

Emma raised her eyebrow, her arms falling to her side. "What?"

"Come on." He grinned. "I know you know how."

Emma sighed, her arms crossing over her chest. "Not when it's four in the morning and I'm half asleep."

Will pouted and bounced James on his hip as he took the small boy's hand and waved it at his mother. "James wants his Mommy to play for him."

Emma stared in exasperation at her husband, but his expression was unwavering and eventually she relented, collapsing onto the piano bench with a huff.

Will laughed, taking James' hand out of his mouth and bringing both of his hands together in a clap. James looked up at his father in wonder, his mouth open slightly and drool dribbled down his chin.

Emma shook her head slowly, trying to hide a smile as she swung her legs around under the piano. She turned the keyboard on and set it to a low volume and played a small scale to test the volume.

Emma stared down at the white and black keys, her fingers hovering over them while she pondered a song. She licked her lips, nodding to herself and her fingers started to dance over the keys in a light melody.

Will smiled and leaned his head very lightly against his son's and then began to sing the first verse to 'Silent Night'. Emma's sweet and soothing voice joined his after the second line and Will even added a harmony to the song as it progressed.

By the end of the first verse, James' head had drooped onto Will's shoulder and his arms swung loosely at his sides. His eyes kept drooping closed as he stared, mesmerized, at the piano.

Will and Emma shared a small smile and Emma continued smoothly into the next verse, closing her eyes and releasing herself fully into the music. Will started to rock his torso back and forth to aid in the sleeping process, blinking rapidly to try to keep himself awake.

The last notes tinkled out of the piano and reverberated in the small room until the sound faded into nothing. Emma sat with her hands rested in her lap for a few quiet moments, sighed peacefully and then forced her eyes open to look at Will.

Will smiled tiredly down at her and they both glanced down at James who had fallen asleep long before the song was over.

"Worked like a charm." Will whispered, smiling triumphantly back at Emma.

"Your voice tends to have that effect on people." Emma smiled back as she rose from the bench. "Come on," She whispered as she approached him, yawning slightly. "Let's get him to bed."

Will nodded and they walked side by side into the hallway. Emma turned right to reach the nursery but Will, still holding James, took a left towards their bedroom. Emma paused when she realized her husband was no longer beside her and she turned, calling out to him, "Will!"

Will stopped and looked over his shoulder questioningly.

"Honey, you're going the wrong way." Emma motioned towards the nursery.

Will shook his head, turning to face Emma being careful not to wake the sleeping infant on his shoulder. "If we put him back in there he'll just wake up again. It's Christmas Emma, we can let him sleep with us tonight."

Emma smiled softly, nodded quietly, headed towards the nursery to shut off the lights and then met up with Will in the hallway. Together they walked to their bedroom and Will climbed into bed cautiously and carefully rested the sleeping child on his chest. Emma shut the lights and climbed into bed next to Will, snuggling up to his arm, observing her sleeping child for a few moments.

She gently lifted her fingers and brushed his short, fuzzy tufts of hair behind his small ears. She slowly tilted her head up to meet Will's eyes and almost laughed at how he was so obviously trying hard to keep himself awake. Her lips gently grazed the skin near his elbow and she moved her head back onto the pillow. "Goodnight Will."

His hand sought after hers in the darkness and their fingers linked together. "Goodnight Emma."

Squeezing Will's hand she melted into the pillow and closed her eyes finally starting to surrender to her exhaustion.

Just as she started to drift off she heard Will's voice whisper in a higher pitch, "Goodnight Mommy."

Emma smiled to herself and moved their conjoined hands to rest protectively over their son. "Goodnight James."

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Emma awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed and relaxed than she had in seven months. The night was probably one of the most busiest and loudest but she felt wonderful despite that probably due to the fact that it was Christmas morning and that always managed to put Emma in a good mood.

She rolled over onto her back, turning her head to take a glance at the alarm clock. She was shocked to discover it was nearly ten o'clock, she had never slept that late on Christmas morning.

She rolled back over to face Will and grinned at the sight before her. Both Will and James had their heads turned to the side, their mouths parted slightly with just a little bit of drool dribbling down the sides of their mouths.

Before she was a mother the sight of the drool would have disgusted Emma but now she just found it cute.

She giggled, releasing Will's hand, pressed a light kiss to both her boy's heads, careful not to wake them and climbed out of bed.

She grabbed her periwinkle robe off of the back of the door and tied it around herself softly padding out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. She yawned quietly as she put on some coffee for Will and some tea for herself and then headed into the living room. She flicked on the lights and the room came alive with the glowing, colorful lights from the Christmas tree in the corner.

She hummed "It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year" under her breath as she walked across the carpeting towards the fireplace. She knelt down beside it and started a low fire to warm their chilly apartment.

She rubbed her hands together then held her palms out in front of the fire as she closed her eyes, smiling as the warmth filled her.

She slowly stood up and came eye to eye with the various pictures on the mantle. The first and largest was their wedding photo which had been sitting on the mantle for nearly three years. Next to it on the right was a more recent photo, taken only two months ago and it was a family shot. Will was dressed in one of his usual vests, Emma in a nice red dress, and James in an outfit matching his fathers. Her mother had insisted that she needed to receive a photo where father and son wore matching outfits and since Will didn't really want to dress up in a tacky sailor suit, Emma suggested matching vests to which Will was happy to agree to. James sat on Emma's lap with Emma's arms protectively wrapped around him while Will had one arm around Emma's shoulders, his other hand resting lightly over James' legs. Will and Emma had matching beaming smiles and the photographers managed to get James to look at the camera for a few good seconds to snap the perfect family photo.

Next to the wedding picture on the left was a picture taken of James when he was only hours old. He was wrapped securely in a light blue blanket and the photographer caught him yawning. He offered to take another picture but both Will and Emma were more than thrilled to take the one they had.

The day her son was born would go down as the happiest moment of her life followed only a little by her wedding day and the day she finally got back together with Will.

She was scared and panicked during the labour and delivery and she almost passed out when she caught sight of the mess that came along with the birth of her son but once the cleaned off baby was placed in her arms Emma was filled with such an indescribable joy. She and Will were both crying for hours as they held and cooed over their newborn son. That was seven months ago and she stilled teared up at the memory.

Feeling very reminiscent she walked over to the bookcase on the opposite side of the room and kneeled down to grab a large photo album off the bottom shelf. She curled her knees under her as she sat on the floor and opened the photo album on her lap.

She combed through the album, smiling tearfully at the numerous pictures both she and Will had taken of James over the last seven months. The large book was more than halfway full and Emma realized she'd have to be buying another photo album if she continued to take so many pictures.

The last photo she had put into the photo album was taken a week before when Will brought both her and James to a glee christmas party that was not only attended by the current members of glee club but by the original members who were visiting for their Christmas vacation. She and Will had stupidly left their child with the young adults and teenagers and when they came back nearly five minutes later, James had a santa hat on, tinsel and bows wrapped around his carrier and had replaced James' normal pacifier with a rudolf the red nosed reindeer one. The kids tried to contain their laughter at Will and Emma's shocked expressions as they came back into the room. Will was the first one to crack out of the stupor and he mock glared at this students and ex-students, hiding a smirk as he pulled out a camera and took the picture before James could move.

Being a mother was all Emma could have asked for and more. It was hard and tiring and very messy but Emma wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. She loved James more than anything in the world, even Will, and she never thought she'd love anyone more than she loved Will.

"Mommy!" A voice sung from down the hall.

Emma smiled to herself and placed the photo album back onto the shelf as she lifted herself onto her feet.

"In here, Will!" She called out to him and in a matter of seconds Will appeared in the doorway, holding a sleepy James, who immediately was more awake at seeing Emma.

"Someone was looking for you." Will smiled and James held out his arms whining quietly.

Emma's eyes twinkled in delight as she walked over and scooped James out of Will's arms. "Hi sweetie." She cooed to her son who gripped onto her robe tightly and snuggled into the fuzzy material.

"Did you check his diaper?" Emma asked as she swung her body back and forth.

Will nodded. "I changed him, he wasn't too messy this morning."

Emma smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of James' head. "He's being so quiet."

"I guess the crying did wear him out." Will laughed quietly.

Emma chuckled in response. "I guess so. It won't be too long before he starts fussing to be fed though."

Will grinned at the mention of food. "Someone else is fussing to be fed."

Emma smirked over at him, shaking her head slowly. "Unlike your son who is incapable of feeding himself, you are a fully grown adult William and can make your own food."

Will laughed out loud, throwing his head back and then approached Emma, raising his eyebrow seductively. "But, Emma darling, no one makes chocolate chip pancakes like you do."

He pouted his lips and brought his face in closer to hers until their lips brushed ever so softly. Emma licked her lips after their very brief kiss and she sighed. "Fine...but only if you kiss me."

"That is a deal I can make." Will answered smoothly before swooping down and capturing her lips in a more passionate kiss.

It didn't get as passionate as they would have liked, the obvious barrier between them making it difficult for anything else to occur. They pecked each others lips a few more times before reluctantly pulling away and heading towards the kitchen.

Will headed towards the cabinets to retrieve the pancake batter while Emma headed towards the table to put James down in his high chair. The boy fussed a little as Emma tried to put his feet through but Emma eventually got him down and strapped him in. She placed another small kiss to his fuzzy head before pulling away.

"Ma!"

Emma froze and her wide eyes lifted to meet Will's across the way. Will's jaw fell open as he stared, shocked, at Emma. Emma's eyes welled up with tears and she whirled around, a smile tugging at her lips as she gazed upon her son.

James had his arms stretched out and his feet were kicking back and forth. "Mama!" He cried again.

"Will." She whispered breathlessly, glancing over at her husband who was now grinning from ear to ear.

A few tears escaped Emma's eyes and she ran back over to the high chair, scooping James back into her arms and hugging him as tightly as possible. "Yes baby, I'm mama. Mama's here." Emma smothered kisses all over his little head, crying and laughing in glee.

Will dropped the box onto the counter, his empty stomach suddenly being the furthest things from his mind, and rushed over wrapping one arm around Emma and placing the other on James' back.

"He said his first word." Will beamed and Emma nodded joyfully, grinning brightly and leaned up for another short, sweet kiss.

The proud parents showered James with kisses, love and attention and that small child seemed to be loving every moment of it. The thought of breakfast was long gone even when the coffee machine beeped and the tea kettle whistled, Will quickly shut them both off and returned to his little family to share in the true joy of Christmas.

Once the initial shock wore off and Emma's tears had ceased she managed to part with James and place him back in his high chair so she could finally make breakfast. James continued to protest crying the two syllable word he had just learned over and over again which nearly had Emma running back to cuddle with him and never let him go.

Will convinced her to stay away though and he brought in some of James' toys to distract him with. James soon found entertainment in his toys and his joyous laughter filled the air along with the shaking of the various toys.

Will and Emma sat on either side of James, as usual, as they ate their breakfast, smiling and laughing with their son when he would over act with his toys.

After they finished their meal the small family ventured into the living room and settled down in front of the Christmas tree. Emma placed James down on his blanket in between herself and Will.

They opened presents for the next fifteen minutes, most of them being for James with some little things that Will and Emma gave each other. Emma adored one of the little outfits Will had got James and changed him out of his green onesie and dressed him in the new, reindeer printed one. Emma sat him up and Will placed a little baseball cap sideways over his head.

Emma giggled at the sight of the clueless baby staring up into space while sucking on his hand. "Oh, Will he's adorable. Get the camera."

Will chuckled and grabbed the camera off the table which he had set there the night before to quickly catch any adorable moment. Will turned on the camera and kneeled in front of the tree and Emma turned James around to face him.

"Look at Daddy, James." Emma encouraged pointing over to where Will was kneeling.

James followed her finger, took his hand out of his mouth and grinned, crying "Dada!"

Will nearly dropped the camera as his wide and now tear brimmed eyes fell on his son.

"Oh my god." Emma whispered and grinned brightly, taking in Will's shocked appearance.

Will carefully set the camera down, crawled over to James, took him out of Emma's arms, leapt onto his feet and lightly threw him up in the air, his own laughter joining with James' shriek of laughter.

James fell into his arms and Will tickled his belly, unable to keep the ten thousand watt grin off his face.

Will cradled James against his chest as he took a seat beside Emma. Emma rested her head against Will's shoulder and her fingers gently grazed James' head as the baby stared up at his parents in wonder.

Will clenched his jaw to keep his lips from quivering and forced back the happy tears that were threatening to fall. He pressed a loving kiss to the side of Emma's head and then nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Thank you." His voice shook quietly as he whispered in her ear.

"For what?" Emma's brow furrowed as she lifted her head to meet Will's eyes.

"For everything. You've made every last one of my dreams come true, Emma and words cannot describe how grateful I am." He nuzzled his nose against her once more. "How much I love you."

Emma's eyes brimmed with tears and wordlessly she leaned forward and captured his lips in a loving and tender kiss. "I love you so much." She murmured passionately against his lips. "You're the best husband in the world." She whispered, pulling away bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. "And the best father."

Her words triggered something inside of him and the tears he was so desperately trying to suppress came trickling down his cheeks and he set James down on his blanket. He got on his knees in front of Emma and brought both of his hands around Emma's face and slammed his lips down onto hers.

Emma immediately melted into his arms but gripped onto his thighs and pushed herself up, deepening their already passionate kiss. Will's fingers tangled in her hair as his lips moved eagerly against hers.

"God I love you." He groaned into her mouth and she smirked against him. Their kiss continued until they could hardly breath and they panted heavily as their forehead came to rest in a loving touch.

Will nuzzled his nose against hers and pecked her lips softly before eventually pulling away.

A gurgle from James brought their attention back to their son and they both smiled at seeing him lying there on the blanket, kicking his feet and arms happily as he stared at the brightly colored tree.

Emma sighed in contentment as she cuddled into Will's chest. Will slipped his arm around her and pulled her tight against him, kissed the top of her head and then buried his face in her hair.

The fire crackled in the fire place, snow lightly dusted the window panes, James' giggles filled the air and Will and Emma were once again reminded why Christmas was the happiest time of the year.


End file.
